I'm clearly in the fantasy railroad camp.  All I got to say about the subject is that I model a parallel universe in strict prototypical fidelity. By golly, It's my pike and I'll model it any way I durn well like. Still though I do try to improve my skills and to that end I've been exploring craftsman and laser kits and been having some fun.

The easiest  way that I can visualize a scene is to mock it up with the actual structures that will go in it.  Generally I'll glue or even tape together the walls and roof of a structure kit to get a sense of the mass of a building.  Sometimes I'll be happy with what I see and will be able to proceed. Sometimes I won't and I'll need to find another idea.  But most often, I'll be unsure so I'll just leave it alone and move on to something else.

The goal of my modeling efforts is to create a perfect little world.  There are a few obstacles to achieving my goal, namely careless project planning,  sloppy work habits and moving on the next thing before getting the task at hand completed.  Perhaps if I embarrass myself enough times by posting here, my work habits might improve.

Boomer Flats is my homage to the Overland Route crossing of the Sierras.  It's a town not unlike Nevada City, Ca or even Dutch Flats but of course totally fictitious.  The mainline passes through town and then exits the layout through a tunnel that passes through the backdrop into a staging yard.

 is a fellow named Karl Osolinsky.  Whenever I feel a little frustrated with this hobby, spending my time attempting to get less than well engineered products to function well enough to operate, I dream about building my perfect miniature world.  Here is a man who without compromise turns out the best - IMHO.  Check it out and be inspired.  http://www.modvid.com.au/html/body_karl_osolinski-_revisited.html

Although I model California railroading in an  “impressionistic” style,  I do try to avoid anachronisms and am making an attempt at kinda realistic operation. For now my pike has settled into the transition era, a decision largely driven by my need to fit in a Walther’s Union Station. 

Today's mail brought a box of stuff that I ordered from an online retailer.  One of the items in the box was the "MRC City & Country Sound Station" that I got for the  discounted clear out price of $24.99.

On a recent trip to California, I found myself staying in a condo near the Richmond Marina on San Francisco Bay.  The area is the former site of the Kaiser Shipyards which were fantastically productive building Liberty ships during WWII.  They were more or less abandoned after the war ended.

I'm engaged in an active search to find some logging flat cars to go with a lumber mill scene that I am developing on my layout.  The is based on the Walther's sawmill kit from a decade ago and I have been chasing after some of the Walthers logging flat cars that go with it.   Luckily we model railroaders  have a habit of acquiring things to squirrel away so with enough time I should be able to meet my "needs" on Ebay. This is the only real option for a guy living on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean to acquire items no longer in production.

An interesting website that features downloadable pdf models of historical Illinois buildings, for instance Lincoln's Springfield home, etc.  Some interesting "main street" models similar to the old Heljan courthouse square series and the DPM's. Nice brickwork and roof detail. Check it out.  Free

http://www.illinoishistory.gov/ps/construct_mainstreet_aledo.htm